Navigating the thresholds of learning, presence, and transformation through kaupapa-aligned leadership practice.
Growth rarely feels comfortable. From a Te Ao Māori view, transformation happens at the edges — those liminal spaces where comfort ends and new knowing begins. Like the takarangi spiral, our ascent moves through tension and release, rhythm and return. The task is not to avoid discomfort, but to develop right relationship with it — to meet it as signal, guide, and companion.
He Anga Whakatere: A Reflective Framework for Transformational Ascent™
Within Kaupapa-Aligned Leadership™, growth is not a straight climb. It follows a rhythmic ascent — a cycle of expansion, integration, and illumination. Each turn of the spiral draws us into new layers of knowing, presence, and coherence.
Across the He Anga Whakatere: A Reflective Framework for Transformational Ascent, this movement unfolds through three living phases: the awakening of potential, the shaping of practice, and the embodiment of insight. Within each phase are distinct spaces — realms of knowledge, energy, and alignment — where awareness, purpose, and practice evolve in rhythm.
We do not need to grasp them all at once. What matters is recognising when we are being called to stretch — to meet our growth edge with attentiveness rather than avoidance.
Meeting the Edge
Each leader encounters the edge differently. For some, it appears as uncertainty; for others, it feels like restlessness, resistance, or quiet invitation. These edges are not barriers — they are thresholds.
From a kaupapa-aligned perspective, discomfort signals movement. It tells us something is reconfiguring — that we are transitioning from what was once coherent toward what is ready to emerge. The question is not “How do I get back to comfort?” but “What learning or alignment is asking to unfold here?”
Simple practices to steady your ascent:
- Whakarongo ki te hā: Slow your breath and listen for rhythm.
- Notice the patterns: What is repeating or resisting? Both are teachers.
- Take small, deliberate steps: Growth needs rhythm, not rush.
- Lean into connection: Wānanga with trusted peers or mentors who hold clarity and care.
- Acknowledge progress: Honour the small movements — the subtle shifts that mark your ascent.
The Gift of Growth
When we meet our edges with awareness, discomfort transforms into direction. Our capacity expands — not just intellectually, but energetically and relationally. Over time, the effort that once felt heavy becomes rhythm; the lessons once sought become embodied.
This is the work of ascent — the movement that He Anga Whakatere traces: from latent potential to coherent practice to radiant realisation. It is not a linear journey, but a spiral of return — one that deepens each time we choose to engage consciously with our growth edges.
To step toward that edge is to step into practice — where learning becomes leadership, and discomfort becomes coherence.
Reflections for Leaders
- Where in your current leadership rhythm do you sense the invitation to stretch or re-align?
- How might you engage with discomfort as a teacher, rather than a threshold to retreat from?
- What practices keep you centred within movement — allowing clarity to grow even amidst uncertainty?
Further Exploration
- Manu Hōmiromiro: Poutama Insights™ — Explore the rhythms of Kaupapa-Aligned Leadership and strategic thinking that strengthen discernment and clarity.
- Hā Tārewa: Poutama Flow™ — Deepen leadership presence through rhythm-based reflection, embodiment, and resonance.
- He Anga Whakatere: A Reflective Framework for Transformational Ascent™ — Engage with the full framework to trace your growth edges through the three phases of transformative ascent.
Explore the Manawa Kōkopu Poutama IQ Ascent Series™ to learn more.
Image credit: Tahere, K. (2025). Used with permission.
Author: Megan Tahere. (2025).